Typhoo kicks off review

Typhoo, the 102-year-old tea brand, has called a pitch for its
advertising account.

The company is approaching agencies with a view to putting together a
longlist in the next three weeks. Then, following a round of chemistry
meetings, it will draw up a pitchlist of four.

The incumbent on the business is CHI & Partners. It has been offered the
chance to repitch, but has not decided whether it will take part.

The winning agency will be briefed with creating irregular one-off TV
executions for the company's range of products, in a bid to challenge
rivals such as PG Tips.

CHI picked up the business in late 2001 after a flurry of movement that
saw the account switch agencies six times in just four years.

In 1997, the account moved from Delaney Fletcher Bozell, where it had
been for three years, to Saatchi & Saatchi.

But just six months later, Typhoo was back at DFB, where it stayed until
moving to Mother in January 2000. A year later, Mother resigned the
account, which moved to Fallon for six months, before ending up at
CHI.

The agency's first work brought back the "OO" slogan that had last been
used in 1990. Its most recent work was a £2 million TV campaign
that launched in September 2007 and highlighted the expertise that goes
into making tea.

Typhoo's previous parent, Premier Foods, sold the brand to the Indian
group Apeejay Surrendra for £80 million in 2005. It is now the
country's fourth-biggest tea brand with sales of £45 million in
2007, according to TNS.